Chapter 15: Adapting
"Ugh! That brat, every time I tried to speak to her, she just shot me down…Literally! Its as if she refuses to believe somebody is here to save her…or she just hates my guts…a little bit of both I think. What about you Rider? How are you holding up?" Galahad was currently resting in his cell, after another day of sparing with Illyana.
Two weeks have passed since he was captured and the sessions continued non-stop. They were given barely any time to rest and little, to no food. It was no surprise that the last inmates didn't last long.
Still his physique proved its usefulness once more. The adaptability he had and the ability to improve was second to none. He was even on the brink of coming up with a new technique, he had this idea, instead of throwing out energy balls, he wanted to form a beam attack!
Anyway, right now Galahad was conversing with Richard, who too, had his fare share of hurdles to overcome. From what he learned the last couple of days about him, the man didn't actually have his power sealed exactly…he just couldn't use it.
He explained that, his power put immense strain on his body and mental stability. Without external help to stabilize it he would eventually lose his mind and die. Unfortunately he had lost this stabilizing force…along with his allies.
"I can handle that little kid, no problem. Its that man…Belasco…if only I could use the force, just a bit would be enough to get us out of here…but without the Worldmind…Haah." Rider looked at the ground, evidently depressed at the thought of his Nova Corps…being no more.
"Hey man, lift your head up! What's the point of feeling depressed? What you need right now is absolute confidence in your self! Do what you can, with what you have." Galahad consoled the man, who was the only person he could talk so casually with. He was an understanding individual and offered his advise wherever he could.
"Yes, you are right. Even if my days are numbered…I can't perish with my head down." He mumbled his last words, so Galahad couldn't quite understand him.
"So what happened to your corps exactly?" Curious about his so called, Nova Corps, he asked. He wanted to learn more about the world he was in and whenever a chance for knowledge presented itself he would take…even if it was a sore subject.
"The Nova Corps…they were…like a family to me. And it took a single day…no a single moment to lose them. The Annihilation Wave…" Pausing for a second, Richard gathered his thoughts.
He went on to explain that a being called Annihilus, had gathered under his command a inter-dimensional invading force. The size of which was unprecedented, consisting of an armada of thousands star-ships and an army with countless bug-like creatures.
Nobody knew how, when or where they first appeared, but when they did, they brought along with them the destruction of planets, worlds…galaxies! It all happened in just a day, before anyone could react they disappeared again. It was too late.
"Holy…that is just…unreal. So where did this Annihilus fucker go?" It all sounded like science fiction to Galahad, yet again he was in a world full of demons, so he assumed it all to be true.
"In a place called the Negative Zone…that's all I managed to learn, before I got captured and enslaved here. My planet, Xandar, too was lost in the wave…" The memories, saddened Rider but he quickly got over his emotions.
"If its any comfort…I don't remember much at all, from before coming here. My memories are distorted, like somebody has cast a veil over them. Its frustrating, not being able to remember who you were…" Galahad, believing it was only fair, revealed his own problems to the man, who looked at him with an understanding expression.
"It seems, we both have our fair share of problems…in a way I am glad I met you here, Galahad." Rider, had a burden lifted off his shoulders, being able to talk like this to someone was therapeutic.
"Same here man…Tch! He is back…" Their beautiful bromance was cut short by S'ym, who had come to pick up Galahad.
"Talking again…one of these days, I will rip out your tongues!" Clearly not in the mood, the demon spat out curses and threats. He unlocked Galahad's cell and shocked him for good measure. Carrying him once more to the training grounds.
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"We don't have time for a more concrete plan! Its either this or…we risk their lives otherwise Johnny!" Back at the sanctuary, Ororo and The Ghostrider were trying to come up with a strategy to rescue both Illyana and Galahad. The sorceress could fill that the time was running short.
"...You want us to force our way into the castle…And here I thought that I was crazy." Johnny shook his head at this but he, too, knew that they couldn't waste any more time. They had to act.
Ororo had explained to him what Belasco had been planing for a long time. The demon lord wanted to use an ancient ritual, to summon forth the Elder Gods, beings of extreme evil, that were sealed and for good reason, a long time ago.
Those beings, the woman explained, had given Belasco gifts of power and in exchange they demanded to be freed. The ritual was done by the means of a golden locket, that the man had on his body at all times.
The locket contained five slots, in which five stones must be placed. The stones, of course, weren't just random pebbles. They were formed when a soul, attuned to the energy of the Elder Gods, which was very rare, was stripped away from the body and condensed into the locket.
From what she knew, he already had three stones. All he needed was to find another two…one of which, he already had. It was none other than Illyana, but for unknown reasons he hasn't acted yet.
"If he performs the ritual…not only Earth…the whole universe will suffer…in two days time we head for the castle." With a determined voice, Ororo stated. Maybe Galahad would be rescued sooner than he thought.
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On the training grounds of the demonic castle, S'ym had arrived with Galahad on his shoulder. He put him on the ground and kicked his stomach, his body sliding on the the dirt.
"Barely even felt that one. At this rate you should be careful, you might hurt yourself. Haha!" Galahad dusted himself off and mocked the purple demon, who growled in response.
Today Belasco wasn't present, as he wasn't yesterday either. He must be preparing for something, missing his precious apprentice's training. This didn't mean that Illyana's defences were weakened, he had given her a pendant that acted in the same way the lord did, raising magical shields, in response to external threats.
"You have proven yourself useful the last few days, slave! Maybe I will keep you as my personal pet!" Illyana spoke, venom dripping from her tongue, in her girly voice, her threats were rendered invalid.
"You brat! I have told you already! I am here to rescue you! Does that head of yours even work?" He was getting fed up by her antics, he wasn't even sure anymore if this was the Illyana, Ororo was talking about.
"...save me? You and who else…that woman? Lies! I have been waiting for someone to come for years! I am done relying on others!" And with that she wasted no more time talking and started her barrage of magical attack. Galahad shook his head at this and had no idea how to handle this edgy teenager.
He evaded her attacks, this time not even having to put up his aura. Just his physical strength was enough, to handle this brat. His idea of a beam attack came to mind, so he stopped dodging and stood still.
Extending one hand forward, he formed an energy sphere and condensed as much of his reserves inside of it. Soon the sphere started rotating and was on the brink of breaking apart.
Seeing this he used his enhanced senses and control to funnel this energy towards the front. The result was a success! A beam of yellowish-green shot out and an overwhelming pressure descended upon both S'ym and Illyana.
"Eraser Beam! No that doesn't sound right…Eraser Cannon! Yeah!" Having decided on a name for this new attack. The energy beam reached Illyana, whose shield manifested around her.
Galahad poured even more energy into it, and a second wave pulsed through his attack and increased its lethality even more. The shield wavered and cracks started to appear. After all, the lord didn't expect for such a development to occur. Seeing this Illyana panicked.
"S'ym! You think the lord will let you live, if I get harmed?!" Her words seemed to work on the demon, as he clicked his tongue and moved to intercept Galahad.
What the demon didn't expect was for Galahad to flare up his aura and reveal his beastly form. This time he seemed to have maintained his sanity, his yellow iris locked onto him. A chill run down his spine, as memories of their previous battle were brought back.
Stopping his advance, S'ym took out the controller and shocked Galahad. The electricity only slightly made his head jolt, he tried again and again, each time the effect lessened, until it was rendered useless.
It seems that the repeated use of the shocking device had helped Galahad develop a resistance against it.
"Haha! My turn!" Galahad laughed at the panicked purple demon and stop his attack on Illyana, instead focusing on the one who he most wanted to see suffer!